Airlines have started flying to and from Fiji again and local hoteliers have entered ‘clean up’ mode after the powerful category five Cyclone Winston swept through the island nation over the weekend.
The storm ripped through the islands with winds up to 325km/h and waves at around 12m high.
Hundreds of Fijians took shelter in evacuation centres, however, at least 10 people from Ra, Nadi and Lautoka have been reported dead, caused mainly by flying debris and storm surges, Sky News reported.
There are also fears that seven fishermen may be missing from the Yasawas.
Clean up begins after Fiji hit by strongest-ever storm: https://t.co/lRcqWXcPwq pic.twitter.com/JBMn7DWosV
— CNN International (@cnni) February 21, 2016
Despite the severity of the cyclone, the destination remains optimistic about its position post-storm.
This morning, the ‘total public curfew’ put in place on Saturday was lifted and officials have started clearing debris off the roads.
Virgin Australia resumed flights to the destination, with three services taking off from Australia to Nadi early this morning.
VA181 left Sydney at 8.30am and will depart Nadi at 2.35pm; VA185 flew from Melbourne at 9.45am and leaves Nadi at 4.35pm; and VA175 departed Brisbane at 9.30am and will fly back from Nadi at 4.00pm.
Jetstar says it will resume its regular scheduled services to Fiji tomorrow and has cancelled today’s Sydney-Nadi flights JQ119/JQ120.
The carrier is currently assessing opportunity for additional services tomorrow in order to carry affected customers.
“Customers booked on cancelled services have the option of moving their booking at no charge within seven days of the original flight or receiving a full voucher refund to use on other Jetstar services.”
Jetstar
The last update from Fiji Airways, which was published online on Sunday, said that due to airport damage some Fiji Airways and Fiji Link flights have been cancelled and others delayed.
Supplementary services have been added to and from Australian cities, including one from Brisbane to Nadi (FJ1922) and Melbourne to Nadi (FJ1930).
In the accommodation sector, Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort has emerged from the cyclone relatively unscathed.
The property’s Managing Director, Darren Edmonstone noted some superficial damage to the gardens, which has already been rectified.
However, he did note that Castaway Island sustained some damage and the full extent will become clear over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Bula friends and family of Nanuku Auberge Resort Fiji. We are delighted to report that the staff and management that…
Posted by Nanuku Auberge Resort on Saturday, February 20, 2016
Over at Nanuku Auberge Resort Fiji the gardens and beachfront took the brunt of the storm, with General Manager Mark Stanford admitting the property looks like “a bit of a mess right now”.
He assured that the resort did not suffer structural damage and he is aiming to be ready to resume full operations as early as 1 March 2016.
Mr Stanford said his first inspection of the resort on Sunday morning with his engineering team revealed extensive damage to the resort’s foreshore by huge wind-driven waves and several trees had been uprooted and general foliage and plants flattened. The bure at the resort’s nearby private airstrip was also damaged in the storm.
